Conviction
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: It's what brought them together; will it be the thing that rips them apart as well? Alice's old enemies still lurk in her shadow; can Oz be the light that rescues her, or will she be consumed by the skeletons in her closet completely? Happy Halloween!
1. Premonition

**Hey guys! Sorry for the huge delay on this one. I've had it completed for a _while_ now but honestly just never had the time to post it. But now I figured I'd get it up for Halloween time :3 This is just a theory that came into my mind one day and lo and behold it became this 3-shot! I'm not up-to-date on the manga, so don't kill me if I'm off on some things. This is a completely original theory. ****I do hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts.**

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><p>Conviction<p>

Chapter 1. Premonition

"Another hotel?" Alice groaned as she entered the building before her.

Accompanied by Oz and Gilbert, the three of them were, once again, on the pursuit of one of her lost memories. They had heard that strange things had been occurring in this town recently, and the possibility that a being from the Abyss could be involved just kept rising.

"Yes, another hotel." Gilbert snapped back in exchange of her complaint. "You're so impatient and judgmental. Just take what you get, Baka Usagi."

"Humph!" Alice crossed her arms and stomped up the stairs to their designated room. Gilbert snorted and Oz chuckled helplessly as they followed her lead.

"Oh, great." Gil mumbled as he entered the dark room, flicking the lights on. "Only two beds again. Alright, guess I'll take the floor again." He sighed.

"Don't bother." Alice spoke up as she sat down on the floor in front of the window. "I'll take the floor. I don't need a bed." She said slowly.

"Right. You're just a Chain." Gil commented thoughtlessly. The silence that ensued was frigid and Oz nearly felt the electricity sparking between them. He pretended he had not heard Gil's comment and that Alice had not either, but it was too obvious to ignore. "Well we're only staying a few nights until the weather clears up, and I've got to meet up with an acquaintance tomorrow so it should only be for tonight."

"That's good, right Alice?" Oz sighed in a bit of relief, hoping that what Gilbert had added on to his prior statement had taken away some of the malice of the words. But still, it seemed more like an unwilling add-on rather than compensation.

"Yeah." Alice responded to the boy as though she were in another world. Her voice was low and monotone as she stared out the window at the gray sky. Oz could not see her face, but he assumed that it was distant and confused.

Gilbert walked past her, ignoring her and taking a seat on his bed, removing his hat and tossing it onto the blankets.

"Well, I'm going to sleep for now." He told Oz who had taken his seat on the opposite bed, near the wall. "I'll be up early tomorrow so I can leave, meet up with that person and get back early. Hopefully we'll only have to stay two nights at the most."

"Okay." Oz replied, only half listening; one eye was on Alice who was still gazing off into the darkening sky.

"Oz." The blonde boy blinked as Gilbert spoke again, leaning in closer to his master. "Listen, if anything happens when I'm gone, just run. If you have to, let her handle it and get away." He ordered, flicking his glance over his shoulder to the window.

"Are you telling me to use Alice as a _sacrifice_?" the boy hissed, disbelievingly, his eyes hardening.

"Not necessarily." Gilbert defended. "I'm your valet and you're my top priority."

"Fine." Oz said, not meaning it; he was only agreeing to make Gil happy and get him off this topic. "If something happens, I'll do that." He kicked off his boots and threw himself down on his bed, turning away to face the wall. "Good night." He mumbled.

He heard Gilbert sigh as his bed creaked and he lay down as well, shutting off the lamp. After waiting only a few moments, Oz heard snoring from the other side of the room and he sat up again. "Geez, Gil, what's getting on your nerves recently?" he sighed, sliding off his bed.

Quietly, he skirted the other bed and sat down on the floor beside Alice who had not budged an inch since she had sat down. "Hey, are you okay?" Oz whispered. "You know Gil's been in a bad mood recently but you never take offense to him so don't start now."

The girl sighed and replied without turning her head.

"No it's not really him…Okay maybe it is a little bit." She admitted and Oz chuckled. "But there's something more to it. I can't explain it though. There's just…something wrong about this town. I don't like it." She blinked once before slowly turning her head to face him. Oz was shocked when he saw her indigo irises flickering with fear. "I'm getting this feeling I sometimes got in certain parts of Abyss." She took a deep breath before voicing her fears. "I feel like…I'm being hunted."

"What?" Oz could not keep himself from sounding astonished. _How could anything hunt Alice? Isn't the B-Rabbit one of the most powerful Chains in all of the Abyss?_ "Is it another Chain?" he wondered.

Alice just shook her head, troubled.

"I don't know." She confessed, pulling her knees in closer to her chest and burying her face in them with an exhausted sigh.

"Well don't worry about it. We'll be out of here soon enough." Gently, Oz reached over and stroked her long, black hair.

Then, thunder crashed overhead, making both of them jump. Alice lifted her head and gazed out the window as rain began pouring mercilessly down from the gray sky, clogged with black clouds. Oz continued stroking her hair comfortingly; he knew that she hated thunder. Even if she was the omnipotent B-Rabbit, she was still just a rabbit, and even if she was a powerful Chain, she was still just a girl.

A flash of lightning lit up the entire room and made Oz squint his eyes against the unsuspected brightness. He heard Alice gasp beside him and quickly glanced over to find her trembling as she stared out the window, her eyes wide. "Alice? What's wrong?" he asked urgently. He followed the path her eyes took, but saw nothing but darkness outside the glass.

"S…Something white…" she stammered. Her sudden change in character told Oz that something was definitely wrong. He could count on one hand how many times he had seen Alice scared, and each time it just got more and more unbelievable.

"Calm down," he patted her shoulder. "It was just lightning."

"Y…You're right." She finally managed to choke out.

A moment passed by and the thunder rumbled again, making her shake from the inside out.

"Alice." Oz murmured and she slowly turned her face toward him. "Do you remember when we first met and you tricked me into making the contract?" He hated to use the word 'trick' since it made it sound like she was playing him; that may have been the case at the time, but he knew that deep down all that she truly wanted was to retrieve her lost memories and gain the companionship she had lost, and he would never blame her. "When you contracted with me, you said that you were just following the conviction inside of you. And when I was asked why I contracted with you, I said that I was following my own conviction." He recalled. Her eyes portrayed her comprehension but she said nothing as he went on. "What does your conviction say now?" he wondered.

She did not reply for a moment, but instead closed her eyes slowly.

A moment later she reopened them as another flash of lightning lit the room.

"It's saying that I should get out of here as fast as I can." She answered.

Oz was speechless, the only comfort he could offer her was the warm hand that rested on her back.

"Well then," he spoke up. "_My_ conviction is telling me not to let you out of my sight until we get out of this place. And I won't." He promised seriously before his lips gradually turned up into a smile. "Come on, let's go to bed. I'll take the floor."

"No it's fine." She declined. "You keep the bed. You know Seaweed Head will have a hissy fit if he finds out that I made you sleep on the floor."

"But I'll tell him I did it willingly!" Oz protested. "Or we could share the bed if we had to."

"But we don't have to. It's _fine_." She repeated, giving him a tiny smile.

"Alright, alright." Oz sighed in defeat. "But I won't be able to sleep tonight in knowing I'm letting a girl sleep on the cold hard floor."

"Then I'll take your blanket in compensation." She bargained.

"Deal." He agreed, standing slowly.

He closed the curtains before offering her his hand and pulling her up. The boy returned to his bed to strip it of one of its blankets and laid it out on the floor between his and Gil's beds. He climbed onto the mattress as Alice lay down on top of the blanket on the floor, wrapping herself up slightly. "Good night, Alice." He said softly, resting his head on his pillow and gazing down at her.

"Yeah." She mumbled, curling herself up into a ball.

Oz closed his eyes briefly before reopening them to find the girl looking back over her shoulder toward the window.

"Alice." He whispered her name and she jumped, turning back to him quickly before realizing it was only him who had spoken and calming down. "How about I stand guard until you fall asleep?" he offered gently.

"Okay." He would have expected her to decline, but the fact that she had agreed meant that she was truly frightened by this premonition she was feeling. He had to admit that the atmosphere of this town was not exactly welcoming; it had been dark and dreary ever since their arrival. "Close your eyes." He urged quietly.

The girl gazed up at him, almost as though asking for his permission, and so when he gave it, she obediently let her eyelids fall shut. Her head fell onto the blanket beneath her and Oz studied her troubled face as she tried to make herself sleep.

The din of the rainfall in the background was louder than ever, producing an ominous sort of tune that was constant and unsettling. The thunder that continued to rumble was unnerving, and the periodic flashes of lightning washed the room in an eerie light. From time to time, Oz saw the shadows of the room move unnaturally and he tried to force himself into believing that his eyes were merely playing tricks on him.

Alice's breathing was just beginning to slow and deepen when he saw the shadows dancing, as though acting out the scene of a horror story. They shuffled at one second and were completely still the next until at last Oz knew he was no longer hallucinating.

His eyes widened as a long strip of black moved from the wall onto the floor and slowly began creeping toward his bed. The boy blinked several times, alarm flaring up inside of him when he realized this was reality and not a dream. The skinny shadow then split at the end advancing toward him, giving it the appearance of a long arm with clawed fingers like knives; and they were reaching for Alice.

Oz could not remember how to speak.

It was so haunting, so frighteningly terrifying that he could not remember how to function properly.

As the claws advanced, the long fingers reached past her body.

"Alice…" Oz managed to choke out. But nothing changed as the shadow kept nearing his sleeping companion. "Alice." He said again, louder but still nothing happened.

He glanced at Gil who was still asleep and oblivious, his back turned to the scene before Oz.

The boy dared not move a muscle as he watched the knifelike fingers reach Alice's neck and then began to curl around her throat. Suddenly, a flash of lightning and a blast of thunder came in unison at the same moment when Oz cried out, "Alice!"

He sat up immediately and flicked on the lamp at his bedside. The girl's eyes flew open as she thrust the blanket off of her and flew up into a sitting position, gasping for air. Her hands flew to her throat as she panted, her eyes wild as they flicked about the room.

Oz stared down at her as relief came over him to see that she was mainly unharmed. But there was something that had bothered him even more than the moving shadows had. He knew he was not mistaken; when the lighting had flashed, the shadow had turned _white_ before it disappeared. He could not push the image from his mind as he continued to stare down at the floor, his eyes boring into the place it had been only seconds ago.

Alice caught her breath and turned to look up at him, her eyes stretched wide in terror.

"Oz…" she rasped, her voice hitching in her throat. All he could do was shake his head at her; he had no idea what had just happened.

The heavy atmosphere was broken when Gil's snoring stopped momentarily and he asked, "What are you two doing? Turn the light off and get to bed," Before he fell back asleep. Oz and Alice locked eyes, both their gazes wide and fearful.

Then, without a word, he slid off his bed and helped her up. He put the blanket back on his bed and took her hand as he climbed back in and she tentatively followed. The boy spread the blanket out over the both of them before turning off the light again.

He placed his head back on his pillow as Alice moved closer to him, away from the edge. He shifted upwards more so that her head was fitted just beneath his chin. She nestled closer to his chest and he wrapped his arms protectively around her back and shoulders. She was shaking so much he hardly would have expected it to be her if he did not know any better.

An idea surfaced in his mind as he slid one hand into his pocket and removed his watch. Opening it, the gentle melody of Lacie floated into the air and filled the room.

Instantly, Alice's shoulders relaxed and she sighed as Oz pulled her closer, resting his chin on her head.

He waited, listening to the sounds of the rain, the music, and her breathing until the latter had slowed.

Once he was certain she was asleep, he closed his pocket watch and put it away before allowing himself to close his eyes as well.

Yet even though the room was now calmed and quiet, the storm and the thunder continued to crash violently outside.

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><p><strong>AN: Remember, I'm not caught up with the manga at this point so please don't flame me. Chapter 2 will be up soon!**

**Please review!**


	2. Hunted

**Thanks to everyone for their support from last chapter! I really hope you all continue to enjoy :3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts.**

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><p>Chapter 2. Hunted<p>

Oz awoke early the next morning to a dim light that attempted to filter into the room, muffled by the curtains.

The droning patter of the rain on the rooftop told him that the remnants of last night's storm were still sticking around.

He was about to stretch his arms above his head in exhaustion, hardly having gotten any sleep, when he felt the extra warmth on his stomach and glanced down.

Alice was still curled up next to him and all the events of the past night came rushing unpleasantly back to him like a horrible nightmare. Alice's eyebrows were furrowed as well and her lips curved downward into a frown; Oz knew she had not gotten an once more of sleep than he had. Her eyes twitched a second later and blinked into focus before meeting his. "Sorry." She murmured. "You didn't have to worry about waking me up. I've been up all night." She told him.

"Really? You didn't fall asleep even once?" he asked as they both sat up and moved slightly away from one another.

"Did _you_?" She challenged fairly. "After that?" Then she lowered her voice as Gil shifted in his sleep, not wanting him to wake up before she could confront Oz with her questions. "What exactly did you see last night?" she hissed. "I mean, I sure as hell _felt_ it, but what was it?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself." Oz ducked his head closer to hers. "It looked like a shadow but it moved on its own, like it was possessed, and when the lightning flashed, it appeared white before it vanished." He recalled. "Is it a Chain?" he prompted.

Alice had grown unnaturally quiet as she listened to his explanation, and the boy knew there was something she was not telling him. But before he could confront her about it, their hushed conversation came to an end as Gil moaned and sat up from his bed, kicking his feet out over the side.

"We'll talk later." Alice said quickly before jumping off of Oz's bed.

"This place may be kind of cramped," Gil was mumbling to himself. "But I slept like a log."

"That's convenient, cause you look like one too." Alice taunted as tough nothing was wrong, obviously trying to dissuade any of Oz's doubts.

"Shut up, Baka Usagi." Gil's retort was a little more frigid than it should have been, but Alice just crossed her arms as though she did not care and stalked over to open the curtains.

Stifling a yawn, Oz slipped on his boots and entered the small bathroom attached to the room. When he did so, he found that he could not stop his eyes from glancing about in every direction in caution and fear before he could finally deem it free from shadows. As he splashed lukewarm water onto his face, he heard the muffled voices of his companions bickering in the room outside. _Well at least she seems okay_, he thought as he pressed a towel against his cheeks. _But I wish she would stop acting like nothing's wrong…_ His thoughts trailed off as he walked back into the room again to find Gil waiting for him.

"Oz," the golden-eyed man addressed his master. "I'll be leaving soon to meet up with my acquaintance. He's an odd man, but I've known him for a while and he might know some details about what's going on in this town. But he requested for it only to be me to arrive at his home since any more would raise suspicion."

"Yes. Please try to get as much information as you can." Oz nodded. "But if the weather gets bad again just wait there until it clears up again."

"Sure." Gil gave a small smirk, flattered that his master was thinking of his well-being, just like always. "And please don't go outside yourself." Then he lowered his voice. "And remember what I said about if there's trouble." Oz's eyebrows twitched in annoyance as he brought up his idea of Alice being a martyr again. Oz ignored Gil's last statement as he spoke again.

"We'll be here when you get back." Was all he said. Gil nodded once as he slipped into his boots.

Alice, still standing by the window, staring out into the rain, yawned before stretching her arms above her head.

"Ugh I'm so stiff." She puffed. Gil narrowed his eyes as he turned to stare at her back.

"Well excuse me for getting us a hotel room to stay in." He snorted.

"Calm down." Alice turned to face him, her lack of using his nickname showing that she did not want to argue with him right now. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just mumbling to myself." But for some reason, Gil only got madder, as though the sound of her voice alone was infuriating him.

"We're in this mess in the first place because we're searching for _your_ memories, you know!" He yelled. "Maybe you shouldn't lose them next time!"

"Gil!" Oz's sharp tone cut him off. The black-haired man quickly closed his mouth in realizing just exactly what he had said. But it was too late to take back his words.

Alice stared at him with her eyes round with hurt and her jaw dropped slightly. Before either of the males could say anything in compensation, she dashed across the room, shoving past them both, running out, slamming the door behind her.

"Alice!" Oz called out after her, but before he could take so much as a step forward, Gil grabbed him by the shoulder. "Let me go!" Oz snapped, turning on his heel to face the taller man. "Why would you say something like that to her?" He asked with a sigh. "You know she's more sensitive than she lets on, _especially_ about that."

"Look, I'm sorry." Gil said, not sounding too apologetic. "It just slipped out. Let her be and she'll come back within the hour." He then glanced at the clock on the wall. "I have to go now. Don't go after her, okay? It's raining out and she'll come back soon anyway." And with that, Gil followed the Chain's leave and left the room.

Oz closed his eyes and listened to the pouring rain, counting a minute until he reopened them.

"He's right." Oz told himself. "She'll be back." He shuddered as he remembered the scenes he had seen last night. "She always comes back." He flicked on the lamp as his eyes fixed on the window. "She has to."

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><p>Alice ran, not keeping track of her surroundings and not really caring either.<p>

She ran over a small stretch of grass behind the building and found herself in a forest, but continued to run; she could hardly even see where she was going, but she just needed to run.

Ever since she had gotten to this place, something had been screaming at her from the inside to get out immediately, but she had kept quiet about it; Gil's careless comment had been all it had taken for her to break down.

Even now, her conviction was telling her to turn back and get away from this forest, but her mind was blank as she continued to run, her legs moving on their own. She ignored the stinging pain as branches slapped against her body and thorns scraped against her skin, the rain drenching her. Only when she heard the rumbling of thunder did she finally stop to catch her breath.

But she soon realized that it was not thundering.

Another sound like an earthquake erupted from in front of her and she froze as she stared at the ground, her heart thumping against her ribcage.

The ground before her was shaped like a huge beast, a white shadow outlined against the dark forest. Slowly, Alice raised her head as dread dripped down her spine, freezing her breath and her feet. She looked up to see the huge figure of a white rabbit, wearing a black cloak printed with snow-white diamonds in a pattern that matched her own.

But most notably, it wielded an axe splattered with scarlet blood.

Her indigo eyes widened in dismay and terror as she confirmed her fears and met the Chain's eyes. Her lips parted and she choked out a single word: "K-Rabbit."

For the first time since she had left the Abyss, she felt a chilling sensation tear up her spine. She remembered her first encounter with this Chain that had been several years ago. K-Rabbit was the only other Chain in all of the Abyss that could match her powers perfectly, as though they were twins. The first time she had come into contact with it, her first instinct had told her to fight it, as it had wandered onto her territory. She had transformed immediately and challenged it; she had assumed that it would be an easy win even though it matched her true form in size, but the battle had been one of her most humiliating brawls she could recall.

She could never forget the force that was behind that axe that had cancelled out her scythe like it was a piece of trash, nor could she forget those glowing red eyes that screamed for her life. She had fought it off after a long and treacherous fight, but she had received wounds that she bore for weeks afterwards, equal to those of her opponent.

Except now, her situation was one thousand times worse than it had been back then; her powers were sealed and she was now on _its_ territory.

Alice managed to step back despite her violently trembling legs, but her neck was aching from staring up into those bottomless pools of crimson. The thing she hated most about this Chain was its silence; no matter how much she had tried to converse with it in the past, it had never once spoken a word, nor screeched during battle, which was why its utter silence made it all the more terrifying.

It's white body swayed back and forth quietly, as thought calculating the right angle of attack. Shudders shook Alice's body as she saw the haunting, ghostly white shadow beneath it, reflecting the K-Rabbit like a mirror in the grass.

She was about to muster up all of her senses and use all of her energy to turn tail and flee, but before she had the chance, a huge, gloved hand began reaching down toward her. "No…" the girl whispered, trepidation spreading throughout her body. "No. NO!" She screamed.

She clasped her hands over her ears and cringed down, preparing herself for the impact of the grasp that would surely crush her. But instead, she felt something else. It was a familiar feeling that made her quickly lift her head before allowing a smirk to cross her lips. "Oz." She grunted as she felt her contractor release her power. She had no idea how he had managed to do it without Gilbert's ability to free her confided powers of Raven, but she had no time to question it now.

Leaping out of the way, she shed her human form and felt the power swell throughout her body as she grew in size until she was level with the other beast, slicing its hand with her scythe as she caught it off guard. "Bring it on, you eyesore." She growled, raising her scythe yet again. She pushed her fears to the bottom of her chest.

She gripped the handle of her weapon tightly and gritted her teeth.

She was not scared.

At least that was what she kept telling herself.

The white rabbit stared at her with its unblinking eyes before lunging at her without a sound. With lightning speed, it lashed out at her with its bloodied axe and Alice parried with her scythe. She was taken aback when she felt the sheer brute strength of her opponent's power. She hardly had a second to feel shocked before the force tripled and pinned her to the ground, the underbrush cracking around her as white lightning cracked overhead.

Alice struggled fervently to defend her throat as it lunged at her with razor-sharp teeth, but missed as she grazed the side of its face with her blade. She took this chance to kick up her legs into its stomach and throw it off for a brief moment to regain her balance, but when she next looked around it had disappeared.

Alice was no fool; this was not her turf, nor was she in any condition to fight. She turned tail and fled back through the trees, losing her B-Rabbit form as to try and conceal her smaller human form and make herself less noticeable.

As she ran through the rain, she caught glimpses of red flashing from the corners of her eyes.

She was being hunted.

An owl hooted overhead before taking flight frantically. Distracted, Alice stumbled over a root and tumbled to the ground, splashing into the mud. She kicked her tangled shoelaces in frantic frustration, her heart pounding in her throat as she glanced around wildly from side to side, looking for her pursuer.

It seemed to take an agonizing eternity before she finally tore herself free and got to her feet, but she froze before she had the chance to begin running again.

Her shadow was white.

She did not even have the privilege to gasp before a large, white shape began molding from her shadow and taking dimensional form, painfully bright against the dark forest. Alice transformed back into her Chain's form, and this time, she attacked.

"Hyaaaa!" with all of her might she swung her scythe upward, making contact with the ax's handle, but the K-Rabbit did not lose its grip. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" Alice screeched. "We both have equal power, so why do we have to fight? Neither of us will ever win!" Her attempt at reasoning fell on deaf ears as the other Chain kicked off from the ground and leaped forward, smashing her through several trees until she was slammed against one that was sturdy enough to hold her weight.

_Fool_. Alice heard a voice tugging at her mind. Her eyes met two red ones as she understood what was happening; it was communicating telepathically with her, penetrating the barrier of her mind and invading her thoughts like a parasite. _I want to kill you for the same reason you want to kill me._ It continued. _I want to know which of us is stronger for certain. And __since you couldn't kill me on your own territory, I'll prove to you who's the stronger Chain by killing you on mine! I __am the Killer-Rabbit, just as powerful as you, in fact more so, and I will destroy the infamous Bloody-Rabbit and have my title known throughout all of the Abyss for it!_

As it shouted into her mind, the white rabbit slowly sunk its raptor-like claws into Alice's shoulder, the once gloved fingers now curling into deadly weapons. The B-Rabbit roared out in pain, but adrenaline gave her momentary strength and she forced her way out of her adversary's grip, slashing it across the chest as she slid away. The strike had been deep enough to halt any attacker and sent them limping away, but even as blood spread out over the K-Rabbit's white cloak, it continued to chase her, as silent as the shadow that it was.

But now, Alice could feel its feelings of pure rage and malice wafting off of it from just behind her, its rank breath puffing on the back of her neck.

She had never seen a longer forest.

In a final desperate attempt to exact revenge, the white rabbit lunged forward, bowling over the black one and rolling Alice onto her back, exposing her stomach. Fury burned in the Killer Rabbit's eyes as it ducked its head, plunging its fangs into her skin. Alice screamed, her human and Chain bodies flashing between transformations as her power drained away. She felt the long teeth twist into her flesh and pierce it like a thin layer of ice pierced by a raging waterfall. She felt warm liquid seeping from her body, quickly washed away by the cold rain before it was replaced by more fresh blood.

But before it finished her off, the white rabbit suddenly released her, letting out a low wail before it slowly stumbled away into the forest from whence it came, its white shadow leaking crimson behind it.

The pain that pulsed through Alice's body was agonizingly, unimaginably painful, more so than anything she had ever felt before. Pain ripped through her body as she tried to push herself up, and she felt something pouring from her stomach, not looking down to see it and just telling herself that it was rain.

Leaning heavily against a tree, she crossed her arms over her stomach and staggered through the mud, panting wildly. Her instinct and her conviction were the only things leading her now; her body was physically unable to move, yet somehow it was moving.

Hours seemed to pass before she had taken so many as 5 steps, and she told herself that the hotel was just beyond the next step. But at last, her strength gave out and she crumbled to the ground once more, letting the cool mud seep into her wound as the rain washed her back.

Her mind was spinning with some things that made no sense and some things that did. She kept telling herself simple lies like that Oz was out looking for her right now, that keeping her eyes open was the easiest thing she could do at this moment, that her breathing was normal and strong and that the mud and grass beneath her was slowing the flow of blood.

"Fool." She gasped. "Why didn't you kill me?" she wheezed, knowing the other beast could hear her.

_Because you left my territory._ Her mind rumbled with its exhausted reply. _I had no reason to kill you there, but if you die of your wounds, it is no concern of mine._

"Heh." She snorted. "You'd better watch your tail next time we meet. Even if I can't kill you, I'll give you a good beating, even better than today's."

_Agreed._ It replied. _This fight was a victory and a loss for us both. There is no possible way two Chains can be on the exact same level. One of us must be stronger. This was merely a draw._

"I guess it was." She whispered, her voice dying on her. "Go lick your wounds, you pathetic hare."

_Likewise. _It replied, equally drained_. We shall meet again and settle this at another time… _And with that, the presence of the K-Rabbit faded altogether.

For the next few moments, Alice concentrated on her breathing, trying to slow it from its frantic pace only to succeed in making it worse and more difficult to breathe. Her chest was tight and throbbing, all sense of feeling completely overwhelmed by the pain that coursed through her until she was mostly numb.

Now, that the main potential threat had passed, she only had her wounds to fear, but as she looked up past the rain and into the sky, she found comfort in the fact that there was no more jagged lightning blazing through the dark ocean-like abyss above her.

As she lay there, losing breath and consciousness, her eyelids fell, and only one thing was on her mind now; "Oz…"

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><p><strong>AN: Final chapter is coming up soon. Just so you all know, this was a completely original idea and I'm not caught up with the manga entirely, so little things like Alice's release and confinements of power may be inaccurate. Just bear with me. It's fanfiction.**

**Please review!**


	3. Conviction

**Thank you all soo much for everyone's helpful reviews up until now! Here is the last chapter, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts.**

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><p>Chapter 3. Conviction<p>

"Alice..."

Oz did not fully understand the sensation he was feeling, but all he knew was that something was off. _Very_ off.

The hissing of the rain outside was beginning to slow, and the sounds of the thunder were rolling away into the distance. He had felt absolutely terrible in leaving Alice out alone in this storm, wherever she was, especially after he had promised not to leave her side. The young boy's lamenting was cut off as he felt another odd sensation manifest itself.

"I can't take it anymore! Gil! We're going out to look for Alice _now._ The storm's nearly over." His black-haired valet, who had recently returned, nodded once grimly, and without a word, the two set off down the stairs and stepped out into the dark, dripping world.

"I'll search this way." Gilbert announced, motioning to the left side of the surrounding forest.

Oz stood still for a moment and closed his eyes, groping to find the intangible tug he was feeling, pulling him toward her. At last he re-opened his eyes.

"Wait, Gil!" He called out, but the older man was already gone. Oz gritted his teeth but knew there was no time to retrieve him; he would have to look for Alice on his own.

Following his conviction, the link that connected she and him, Oz tore off into the trees to the right of the house. Everything within his field of vision was almost completely black and he took great care in where he stepped and always made sure to retrace his steps in his mind. He called out her name repeatedly, but never got any responses. He paused every few moments and listened for anything that might suggest Alice's whereabouts, but found nothing.

After what seemed like the entire night, which, in reality was probably only a short while less than an hour, light began breaking over the horizon in the distance. Finally able to see where he was, Oz found that he was almost unable to see the house from where he stood.

"Alice!" he yelled out for the umpteenth time during his search, but again received no answer. He was covered in scrapes and bruises from the undergrowth, and sweat and dew streaked his face. He felt like he was about to go mad, being so helpless and unable to find her, but he closed his eyes once more and listened.

The several previous times he had tried to find their link, he had been unable to for some reason, which troubled him deeply. But now, he felt the tiniest tug, like a single leaf tugging on a tree. Opening his eyes, he raced in the direction his instincts indicated, shouting out her name, no matter how fruitless his efforts might have been. "Alice!"

Suddenly, Oz's frantic running ceased as he froze in place completely.

His eyes widened in sheer horror as the morning sun faintly emitted a pale light, illuminating a small, crumpled form on the ground.

It took all of his might not to scream out in agony nor fall to his knees and weep like a child at the sight he witnessed before him then. Her long black hair spread out around her like a burial cloak, and a thick red pool drenched her entire body; there was so much blood that Oz wanted to scream, but still could not remember how to find his voice; and that was only the blood that had _not_ already been washed away by the rain.

Oz was vaguely aware of the proximity of the inn they were staying at to where Alice had been all night. "S...She was...so close...and yet I...I didn't even...all this time she was..." Tears began streaming down his face as he took a shaky step toward her. He nearly stopped and turned and fled at the mere sight of her disheveled body, but he forced himself to keep going forward, ignoring the ironlike scent of blood.

At last he reacher her side and collapsed to his knees into the mud, his eyes wide and disbelieving, streaming with tears. "Al...ice..." he whispered, sniffing. "Alice..." He reached forward, but then sharply recoiled his hand. "Alice..." somehow, just saying her name and seeing her there before him was comfort enough, but then Oz finally snapped out of his horrified daze and began seeing things for what they really were.

He blinked the tears away from his eyes and looked down to see his friend in a pool of her own blood. "Alice...?" He whispered her name as he reached forward again, his fingertips gently touching her back, her once-soft, hair now thick with matted blood. Reaching his other hand across her shoulders, Oz carefully turned her over onto her back so that he may see her face.

He wished he had not.

As he turned her over, more blood spilled from a gaping wound in her stomach, mixing into the large puddle already formed on the forest floor. "Alice...?" he whimpered, trying to force the tears away to no avail. Her face, her clothes, her hair and her entire body were covered in mud and rainwater, but mostly blood. It was surely impossible by any laws, even the twisted ones of the Abyss, for such an obscene amount of blood to be able to fit into such a small girl's body.

_Shouldn't...I die too? If she's my Chain, isn't it only fair that I died too? It's only fair! Or is it because she was human... _Jumbled thoughts buzzed through his head like a swarm of maddened bees and he tried to quell them, looking down at her again. Her eyes were closed, as if they had been for quite some time now, and though Oz checked diligently, she was not breathing; her body was cold and drenched.

"Alice?" Oz sniffed again, his mind telling himself that this was not real, but the chilled sensation he was feeling in his arms telling him otherwise. "Alice?...Alice..." Her name was all he could think of as he slowly leaned forward to bury his face in her shoulder. His tears, mixed with her blood, dripped into the muddy rainwater in the trampled grass below. All he could do was repeat her name over and over again as he tried to fight off the sobs that overcame him.

Once he felt he could cry no more, he just lie there, trying to tell himself that he warmth he felt was coming from her, and not just his own body. He closed his eyes and simply stayed there, wanting to cry more, feeling he should be crying so much more than he was, but simply could not.

At last he became silent but still did not move.

Suddenly, he thought he heard a sound, and quickly drown out everything else aside from that sound. It was definitely familiar, an impossibly faint but still present thumping sound, like of a tiny rabbit's feet. His eyes flew opened as he continued to listen, making sure that it was really true.

"Alice..."

Her heart was beating.

He could hear it.

He could feel it.

It filled his ears and his entire body, bringing a sense of pure elation he had never felt so strongly before. He wanted to keep listening forever to that wonderful, wonderful sound.

Her heart was beating.

She was alive.

But he swiftly gathered his resolve and lifted his head from her chest. Sitting up, he inhaled before howling out like a madman. "GIL!" he shouted. "Gilbert! We're here! Alice and I are...Gil..."

Within the same moment, Gilbert had appeared before his master.

"Oz! What-" His question cut off faster than it started as he took in the scene before him. Horror filled his eyes briefly before he blinked and had to look away, seeking his master's tear-strewn eyes rather then the bloodied girl. "Oz...I..." he sighed. "She's...?"

"No!" Oz cried. "She's not dead! She's alive! I don't know how, but she's alive! Her heart..." Oz trailed off lowering his gaze to Alice and then lifting it back to Gilbert. "Gil, please. Get help. Anyone. Just go. _Please_." He begged.

Gilbert's gaze flicked to Alice's body briefly, as though highly doubting that she was still alive and that his master was just imagining things. But Oz spoke with a steady, clear voice now. "Gil. Please. Go." The black-haired man blinked once before nodding slowly and then racing off.

Oz turned back to his Chain, his friend.

"Alice...if you can hear me than please, please, just...hang on..." Leaning forward, he rested his head on her chest again, telling himself that the sound he heard was coming from her chest and not his own.

He lie there for an amount of time he did not bother keeping track of; but he could tell that the sunlight was becoming more and more prominent around him.

* * *

><p>"Oz!"<p>

The young boy was brought back to reality when he heard Gilbert's shout nearby. Lifting his head, he saw his valet approaching along with two other familiar figures.

"B-Break...Sharon..." he whispered in disbelief. Quickly wiping his face with his sleeve, Oz shakily stood to his feet as they reached him. "Why are you two-?"

"We'll explain later." Sharon cut him off, brushing past him to get a look at Alice. Sharon's body stiffened as she stopped dead in her tracks, horror spreading across her facial features. Break caught up to her, but the only expression he showed was a slight widening of his visible eye.

"Oh my..." he murmured, lifting his arm to cover his mouth. "Gilbert-san...are you quite sure that she is...able to be saved?" He asked slowly, directing a hard stare at the black-haired man. Gilbert shook his head, his eyes narrowed.

"But... Oz says... there must be some way he can tell since he's her Contractor, right?" As the two continued their hushed discussion, Sharon regained her composure and knelt down, placing her hand on Alice's chest.

A moment of terribly tense silence passed, and Oz dug his fingernails deeper and deeper into his palms, until the mistress finally spoke.

"She's alive, but we must hurry. Break..." she said, looking up, her eyes stern.

"Yes, yes." The silver-haired man knelt down beside her and carefully lifted Alice into his arms. Blood dripped from her hair and clothing onto the already present puddle on the ground.

Oz could no longer feel his legs; whether he was weak from fear or relief he did not know.

He watched in silence as Break and Sharon walked briskly back toward the inn, leaving himself and Gil alone in the scarlet-tainted grass.

"Oz." His valet's voice was low, but somehow gave the boy strength. "Let's go too."

"Y...You're right. Let's go."

Gilbert followed his master slowly across the open yard leading to the inn. Oz forced his legs to move slowly, even though he wanted to run away from this bloodstained place as fast as he possibly could. He trudged alongside Gilbert, following Sharon and Break like a chastised child would follow his angry parents. Gilbert shot him a sidelong glance that said "don't blame yourself for this", and Oz could see that his eyes too were hiding guilt.

In reply, the boy gave a tiny nod before bowing his head and staring at the drenched grass as he walked, his boots tracking a faint red trail behind him.

* * *

><p>Oz sat in a wooden chair at the bedside of his beloved Alice.<p>

Once inside, Gilbert had insisted that his master take a shower and try to calm down, and though Oz had protested, he obeyed in the end. He had not seen exactly what magic Break and Sharon had used to heal her, but he honestly did not care. It took them a good long while to perform it however, and all the while Oz had been advised to wait in another room to read or do something to take his mind off of the events transpiring in the other room.

Yet there was no way he could have done that, and so in the end he only wound up worrying more than he would have if he had been in Alice's room with them. He kept seeing the images replay in his mind, her crumpled body, her pained face, her leaking blood...

It had felt like years, longer than those ten lost years he had spent in the Abyss, until her door had finally opened and Gilbert had emerged with a grim look on his face. When he had seen Oz, he merely sighed a long, tired sigh that made him seem beyond his years, but the smallest reassuring smile that followed had caused Oz to push past him eagerly.

When he had seen Alice lying there in bed, all of Break's explanations had fallen on deaf ears as Oz stumbled across the room to collapse into the chair he now sat in.

"Alice..." he murmured, reaching forward tentatively. He paused to give Sharon a questioning look and she nodded with a small smile before Oz took Alice's hand.

"I've cleaned up her wounds and washed her clothes." Sharon told him gently. "We don't know when she'll wake up but she needs rest now."

"Yes..." Oz mumbled as though he could not truly believe this was real. "Thank you, Sharon, Break." He bowed his head to them in deep appreciation.

At last he was able to see her again, the sight and stench of blood both completely vanished from her body so that she now only seemed to be asleep.

"It was the work of the K-Rabbit." Break's voice floated across the room to Oz's ears and the boy glanced over at him. "To put it shortly, that is the only Chain in the Abyss that we currently know of who harbors the exact same level of power as the B-Rabbit, but since Alice-kun was on his territory..." he blinked his eye, letting the terrible memories of that morning fill in the rest.

"I see..." was all Oz could bring himself to say. At this point, he did not care about what had done this to her; he only prayed that whatever had would leave them alone from now on, for its own sake.

A moment of silence dragged by between the occupants of the room, and once they realized there was nothing more to say, Sharon and Break took their leave.

"Let us know right away if you need anything." Sharon advised Oz before she leaned, exhausted, against Break's arm.

"You should rest too, Milady." The Hatter commented softly as he led her out of the room. The door closed, but not a moment later, Gilbert replaced them. Oz heard his heavy footsteps make their way over to his side, where his valet halted.

"It's good to know that she's going to be okay." He stated, a little awkwardly. But Oz's emerald eyes merely sparkled at hearing those words.

"Yes. It is." He said softly.

Gilbert scratched his head as silence fell once more before he spoke again.

"Listen, Oz. I'm really sorry. It was my fault she got so upset and ran off like that. If I hadn't-"

"Enough." Oz cut him off, not unkindly. He look up at his old friend with a hopeless smile. "It seemed this encounter between her and the K-Rabbit was inevitable anyway. It's not your fault. Besides, you're the one who got her treatment so quickly while all I could do was sit there. Your quick acting probably saved her life. Thank you, Gil." The boy offered him a grateful smile and Gilbert blinked and avoided his master's gaze, not feeling worthy of it.

"Don't worry about what happened before." The black-haired man said as he noticed Oz's expression melt into a miserable one. "That's all in the past now. Right now the fact that she'll get better is all that matters." He sighed, patting Oz's shoulder lightly. It took the boy a moment to realize the truth behind his words before he raised his head.

"You're right. Thanks." He repeated; this time the smile he gave was genuine, and Gilbert found himself reflecting it.

"Right." He said. "Let me know if anything happens." Gilbert patted Oz's shoulder one last time before he exited the room and closed the door behind him.

At last, Oz turned his full attention back to the girl lying before him. Her hand still lay limply in his and Oz placed his other hand on top of hers and allowed a small smile to cross his lips; she was warm again, unlike when he had found her before when she had been deathly cold. A little of the color had returned to her previously pale face as well. "Alice." He said softly, for no reason in particular.

Needless to say he was extremely taken aback when her violet eyes flashed open without warning.

"Geez, are they finally gone?" She hissed to herself. "That clown always seems to show up whenever he wants to." Then, her eyes quickly flickered upward to rest on Oz's shocked face, his jaw hanging open, and she blinked. A moment of stunned silence drifted by. "Oz-" she began but was not given the chance to finish.

"Alice!" He exclaimed, his grip on her hand tightening. His body moved on its own as he reached forward and hugged her.

"W-Wha?" She yelped in confusion as his arms wrapped around her. "O-Oz...what are you doing?" Alice's tone turned soft as she realized just how warm she felt at that moment. She allowed herself to relax slowly, but felt she did not get to enjoy the warmth long enough before he pulled away and sat back up.

"Alice!" Oz cried out again. "I can't believe you're awake already! Are you hungry? Do you need anything?" He babbled, unsure of what to do considering the unexpected change in events.

"Ah...No. I'm okay." She replied, blinking up at him again. Then she laughed. "What's with that ridiculous grin on your face?" She blurted out.

Oz had not realized the smile spread across his face, but frankly did not care.

"Well it's because you're okay, of course!" He stated. "I didn't think you'd wake up so soon."

"Oh come on. Do you honestly think I'm that weak?" she queried.

"Of course you're anything but weak," he agreed. "But..." his smile faded and Alice frowned. "You were injured pretty severely." He finished simply.

"Yeah," she admitted unexpectedly. "He beat me, all right. But I gave him a scratch or two to remember me by." She smirked in satisfaction at the remembrance of the fight.

"I'll bet you did." He chuckled, reaching down to ruffle her hair and she scrunched her face up like a cat not liking being pet. "I'm sorry." The boy said as he pulled his hand back.

"Don't be." She sighed, knowing that this would be coming and not particularly wanting to hear it.

"No!" He clenched his hands into fists. "I should have listened to my conviction. I said I shouldn't have left you alone and I did. If I had made you stay, or even gone with you-mmph!"

"Stop talking, idiot." Alice had rolled onto her side and reached over to shove her palm against his mouth. When she was sure he would stop blaming himself, she pulled her hand away.

"Well like you said, my meeting with that guy again was inevitable, after so many years of warring in the Abyss." She spoke wistfully before her tone became livelier. "But you know, even though I was on his turf, I still got out alive." She presented him with a slightly smug smile, but the way her eyes closed and her cheeks flushed pink was nearly enough to knock Oz off his chair.

"I'd expect nothing less from you." He grinned back. Then he placed his hand back on top of hers, making her jump slightly. "Ah! I'm sorry! Did I hurt you before?" He asked fretfully, referring to when he had hugged her. Her blush deepened.

"N-No! Of course not! I just wasn't expecting it was all..." she trailed off, turning her head away to hide her face. Oz chuckled as he ran his fingers through her long, soft hair.

"Sorry." He mumbled out of nowhere. "I'll be sure to follow my conviction from now on."

"And what would that be?" She wondered, peeking back over her shoulder at him.

"To do my best to stay by your side as a worthy partner." He replied.

For some reason, the way he had said 'partner' rather than 'contractor' made Alice's eyes widen before she turned back to face him.

"Funny." She smirked. "Mine's saying the same thing."

Emerald locked with violet for a moment that lasted longer than it really did before Oz spoke again.

"I'm just surprised you didn't say that you were hungry before when I asked." He said jokingly.

"S-Shut up! Do I have to be hungry _all_ the time?" she defended, recalling all the times he had accused her of being a glutton. "But I guess in exchange for being healed so quickly..." she was interrupted by a yawn that seemed to finish her sentence for her. Oz stifled a chuckle as her jaws parted like a cat's before she glared bashfully up at him.

He was about to stand up and take his leave when he noticed her touch his hand, her fingertips ghosting over his skin. "You look tired too." She noted.

Oz's eyes widened when he heard her soft words, remembering that he had not slept much the previous night.

"I guess I am." He agreed.

Without a word, Alice shifted over slightly before the thought of leaving could even cross his mind. Pulling his chair closer to the bed, he slid one arm underneath her shoulder and draped the other across her stomach. Had she not been so utterly fatigued, Alice probably would have punched him senseless, but she figured she would let it slide, just this once.

She pulled her arms from under the blankets and place one on his hand that lay over her stomach and letting her other hand rest on his shoulder. Oz laid his cheek on her stomach and looked up at her blushing face amusedly and her face only reddened as she pinched his cheek and he laughed. "Get some sleep, Alice." He murmured, letting his own eyelids fall shut.

"Yeah, yeah." She huffed, closing her eyes as well. She savored his warmth and his tender way of embracing her, trying to stay conscious for as long as possible in order to relish it.

Oz listened to her soft breathing as it deepened and slowed as sleep overtook her.

"Sleep well, Alice." He said softly as he too slipped into the realm of slumber.

Yet even in their sleep, their hands loosely gripped each others' and their fingers entwined, signifying their mutual conviction to never let go of that hand.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I apologize for this ending *sigh* I don't like it much personally, but a bunch of people said it was fine so whatever :3 As long as you guys are (somewhat) happy. I must apologize for making them so OOC and for making Gil such a jerk up until the last chapter :X It was just necessary for this case.**

**I hope you guys liked it!  
>Please review! <strong>


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